Strategic game utilizing tracings on erasable pad



P. SERVIERE 3,254,893

STRATEGIC GAME UTILIZING TRACINGS ON ERASABLE PAD June 7, 1966 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 22, 1963 PHILIPPE SERV/Z'RE INVEN TOR.

AGENT June 7, 1 966 P. SERVIERE 3,

STRATEGIC GAME UTILIZING TRACINGS ON ERASABLE PAD Filed NOV. 22. 1963 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

PHILIPPE SER WERE I NVEN TOR.

June 7, 1966 P. SERVIERE 3,254,893

STRATEGIC GAME UTILIZING TRAGINGS 0N ERASABLE PAD Filed Nov. 22, 1963' 4Sheets-Sheet 5 PHILIPPE SERV/E'RE I NVEN TOR.

P. SERVIERE June 196$ STRATEGIC GAME UTILIZING TRACINGS ON ERASABLE PADFiled Nov. 22. 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.9

PHILIPPE SERVE-RE INVENTOR.

AGENT United States Patent Office 3,254,893 Patented June 7, 1966Philippe Servire, 3 Cours Gambetta, Montpellier, France I Filed Nov. 22,1963, Ser. No. 325,688 17 Claims. (Cl. 273-131 My present inventionrelates to a strategic game of the type in which two players (or twosides with one or more players each) confront each other with the aim ofstrategically positioning different pieces on a game board in suchmanner as to force the opposing pieces into retreat or surrender.

An object of this invention is to provide a game of the type referred toin which the element of chance is completely eliminated so that victorydepends exclusively upon tactical skill and shrewd guesswork.

A more particular object of my invention is to provide a game of thistype affording a high degree of diversification while utilizing only anassortment of relatively simple accessories.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method ofplaying such a game with the aid of simple tools or even only thefingers of the participants.

One of the features of my invention resides in the utilization of anerasable pad, commonly known as magic slate, on which the moves of theseveral pieces assigned to each player are registered in a distinctivemanner. More specifically, they may be traced in different widths tocharacterize the respective pieces involved. In particular, the widerpieces may be composed of two or more parallel lines, the number oflines in a trace thus ranging from 1 to n (where n is the number ofpieces of different type available to each player). Ad vantageously, thetraces drawn by the two opposing players diiier in character even whenrelating to pieces of like type, as by being continuous for one playerand intermittent for the other.

Another feature of my invention resides in the provision of a removablescreen by which the movements of each player are shielded from the otherin an initial stage of the game in which each player marshals his pieceson his side of the board. In a subsequent stage, when the screen hasbeen removed, the pieces of both players may range over the entireboard.

The invention is particularly applicable to a strategic game designed tosimulate actual warfare, the pieces available to each playerrepresenting such military entities as infantry, cavalry, artillery and,perhaps, tanks and other more advanced types of armament. Each piece hasits own characteristic movement (as in chess) and an intrinsic pointvalue which, upon the establishment of contact between opposing piecesas more fully described hereinafter, will be totaled for each side todetermine the winner of a particular engagement. Each piece also has acharacteristic striking range which, as is true of a chess pawn, neednot coincide with its law of movement. The board itself may be dividedinto squares of distinctive character (e.g., coloration) to indicatedifferences, favorable or unfavorable, which may further increase ordiminish the total point count of one or the other player.

The invention will be described hereinafter in greater detail withreference to the accompanying drawing in.

which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a magic slate and other accessories usedin a strategic game according to my invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the game board represented by the magicslate of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3-8 illustrate, again in perspective, several types of styliemployed inthe game of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the game board, illustrating thetypes of moves of the several pieces shown in FIGS. 3-8.

In FIG. 1 I have shown a game board 10 divided into two symmetricalportions S (south) and N (north), each half including a field 11S, 11Ndivided into squares as well as a lateral recording area 128, 12N. Asindicated in dot-dash lines, the two halves are originally separatedfrom each other by a removable screen 13 designed to conceal the initialmoves of each player from the other.

The board 10 is designed as a temporary recording pad of the typecommonlyknown as magic slate, re-

ferred to in the appended claims as an erasable pad.

Thus, it is essentially composed of a rigid bottom plate 14 bearing acolor layer of carbon wax or the like, an overlying sheet 15 ofcellulosic or other suitable translucent material (e.g., paper) adaptedto adhere but lightly to the color layer, and a transparent protectivefilm 16 on top of the sheet 15. The latter sheet, as best seen in FIGS.2 and 9, carries the pattern of the squares defining the battlefieldareas 115, 11N, these squares having been numbered in rows from 1 to 8and in files from a to m on both the north and the south side. Moreover,the squares appear in distinct colors designating different types ofterrain, such as plains P (yellow), forests F (green), hills H (brown),water W (blue), i.e., rivers or marshes, and towns T (white). A narrowsheet-separating blade 17, movably inserted between bottom plate 14 andmasking sheet 15, serves to erase the visible traces 30 produced inknown manner by running a fingernail or a pointed object over thetransparency 16. Such an object, generally designated 20 in FIG. 1, maybe a stylus with a distinctive top 20 and a characteristic writing point20" identifying a particular branch of the armed forces assumed to beengaged in combat on the board 10; thus, the writing tool 20 may haveone of the shapes shown in FIGS. 3-5 (for the south player) or in FIGS.6-8 (for the north player).

In FIG. 3 there is shown a stylus 21-with a top 21', simulating thefigure of a rifieman or foot soldier, and a single-prong point 21"adapted to produce a relatively heavy one-line trace 31. Another stylus22, shown in FIG. 4, has a top 22' symbolizing a cavalryman and atwo-pronged point 22" for producing a somewhat wider trace 32 consistingof two paral el lines each'a little thin ner than the single line oftrace 31. A third stylus 23 available to the south player, which hasbeen shown in FIG. 5, has a top 23' symbolizing a cannoneer and athree-ponged point 23 designed to make a trace 33 of I three parallellines each thinner'than those of trace 32.

FIGS. 6-8 show styli 24, 25 and 26 with tops 24, 25, 26 respectivelysimilar to the tops 21', 22', 23 of styli 21-23 but preferably ofdifferent color. The points 24", 25"

and 26" of the styli-24-26 are constituted, respectively,.

by single, double and triple toothed wheels adapted to leave traces 34,35 and 36 which differ from the traces 31, 32 and 33 only in beingconstituted by intermittent rather than continuous lines. The wheels ofpoints 25" and 26" are as closely juxtaposed as the prongs 22" and 23",respectively, so as to produce traces of similar width. The width of thebroadest traces 33 and 36 (see also FIG. 9) is only a fraction of thewidth of each square so that several friendly pieces (preferably notmore than two) may converge on a single square.

Let it be assumed that the rules of the game provide for the followingmoves:

Foot soldier: one orthogonally adjoining square Cavalryman: onediagonally adjoining square or two orthogonally adjoining squaresCannoneer: one diagonally or orthogonally adjoining -square.

Let it be further assumed that the striking range of each piece bedefined as follows:

Foot soldier or cavalryman: one orthogonally adjoining square Cannoneer:one diagonally or two orthogonally adjoining squares.

Moreover, the following point values may be assigned to each piece andto the type of terrain occupied by the piece:

Foot soldier l Cavalryman 2 Cannoneer 3 Plain Forest +1 Hill +2 Town +3Water 1 Each player starts out on the base line of his side, the initialmoves (eg for the first six rounds) being concealed from the other sideby the screen 13. Each player is allowed, in his turn, to move any orall of his pieces once in any one round; the ultimate aim of the gamemay be to confine the opposing forces to the first two rows of theirterritory, to capture a particular town on the opposing side or, simply,to accumulate a predetermined number of points in individual engagementsas described hereinafter. The rules may also provide that one or morepieces are held in reserve, to be brought onto the field only after acertain number of rounds or after the opponent has begun to penetrateinto the players territory. Rivers and marshes (W) may be occupied byany piece for only one round. A piece cut off from its own troops byenemy forces will be immobilized until a breakthrough is achieved and,if held encircled for more than three rounds, will give to the otherside a point count double its own value; a piece forced off the boardwill be considered captive and will remain out of combat for theremainder of the game.

To win a battle, a player must endeavor to bring, by one or more pieces,a superior number of points to bear upon an enemy position withinstriking range. This has been illustrated in FIG. 9 where the northplayer has moved a foot soldier (trace 34) and a cavalryman (trace 35)onto his square (:5 whereas the south player, in a subsequent move, hasplaced a cannoneer (trace 33) on the orthogonally adjoining square c6 onthe north players side. Square 06 is within striking range of northscavalryman and foot soldier whereas square 05 is similarly attacked bysouths cannoneer; thus, contact has been established between the twoopposing forces. The total intrinsic point count is 3 for both sides,yet the south player has the advantage of hilly terrain which gives himtwo additional points. Under the rules, the outpointed north player mustnow withdraw his pieces from the attacked square c5 by a number ofsquares equal to the point difference, here 2; the victorious southplayer can advance onto the square thus vacated. These retreats andadvances, resulting from an engagement in which one side outpoints theother, are made out of turn; thus, the player next on move will thenproceed in his normal turn to regroup his forces.

As will be apparent from FIG. 9, the ends of the traces 33-36 indicatethe present position of the respective pieces Whose past movements canalso be reconstructed from these traces so that each player can easilydetermine whether his opponents moves had been legitimate under therules, particularly in the initial stage when the moves of one playerwere concealed from the other.

Whenever the battle line becomes too complex, some or all of the traceson the board may be erased with the aid of the blade 17. In many casesit will be possible to manipulate the plate 17 in such manner that theterminal part of each trace will remain untouched so as to mark the lastposition of the piece; otherwise, care will have to be taken toreregister this position before playing is resumed. The side areas 128and 12N may be used for the purpose of recording each players pointcount and/ or for temporarily registering the positions of the piecesduring erasures.

The layout of the terrain shown in FIG. 2 represents the locale of theBattle of Austerlitz, with Napoleons French troops advancing from thenorth side and the Austro- Russian forces gathering in the south. Itwill, however, be possible to replace the sheet 16 by a different sheetsimulating some other'familiar battle scene or one having an arbitrarylayout without historic significance.

Some of the principles described above may also be utilized in a game inwhich each player is given a separate slate encompassing the entirebattle area, the establishment of contact being determined-by acomparison of the two slates after each round following the initialstage in which the two forces take up positions on their own sides ofthe field. In such case, of course, the removable screen 13 will bedispensed with.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of playing a game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingregistering the motion of each piece on said game board in the form of atrace of distinctive appearance identifying the respective type ofpiece; each player noting, during the progress of the game, the pastmoves of his opponents pieces from the registered traces thereof.

2. A method of playing a game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingregistering the motion of each piece on said game board in the form of atrace of distinctive width identifying the respective type of piece;each player noting, during the progress of the game, the past moves ofhis opponents pieces from the registered traces thereof.

3. A method of playing a. game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingregistering the motion of each piece on said game board in the form of atrace composed of one to 11 parallel lines, the number of said linesidentifying the respective type of piece; each player noting, during theprogress of the game, the past moves of his opponents pieces from theregistered traces thereof.

4. A method of playing a game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingregistering the motion of each piece on said game board in the form of atrace composed of one to '11 parallel lines, the number of said linesidentifying the respective type of piece, said lines being continuousfor one player and discontinuous for the other player; each playernoting, during the progress of the game, the past moves of his opponentspieces from the registered traces thereof.

5. A method of playing a game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingthe steps of registering the motion of each piece on said game board inthe form of a trace of distinctive appearance identifying the respectivetype of piece, confining the moves of each player to a respectiveportion of the game board during an initial stage of the game,concealing said moves from the other player during said initial stageonly, thereafter extending said moves to other parts of the board; eachplayer noting, after said initial stage and during the further progressof the game, the past moves of his opponents pieces from the registeredtraces thereof.

6. A method of playing a game of skill in which each 7 of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingthe steps of utilizing an erasable pad as the game board and registeringthe motion of each piece on said pad in the form of a ing the motion ofeach piece on said pad in the form of a temporary trace of distinctivewidth identifying the respective type of piece; each player noting,during the progress of the game, the past moves of his opponents piecesfrom the registered traces thereof.

8. A method of playing a game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingthe steps of utilizing an erasable pad as the game board and registeringthe motion of each piece on said pad in the form of a temporary tracecomposed of one to n parallel lines, the number of said linesidentifying the respective type of piece; each player noting, during theprogress of the game, the past moves of his opponents pieces from theregistered traces thereof.

9. A method of playing a game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves characteristically different for each type, comprisingthe steps of utilizing an erasable pad as the game board and registeringthe motion of each piece on said pad in the form of a temporary tracecomposed of one to n parallel lines, the number of said linesidentifying the respective type of piece, said lines being continuousfor one player and discontinuous for the other player; each playernoting, during the progress of the game, the past moves of his opponentspieces from the registered traces thereof.

10. A method of playing a game of skill in which each of two playersdisposes of several types of pieces whose advance across a game boardproceeds in moves charac teristically different for each type,comprising the steps of utilizing an erasable pad as the game board,registering the motion of each piece on said pad in the form of atemporary trace of distinctive appearance identifying the respectivetype, confining the moves of each player to a respective portion of saidpad during an initial stage of the game, concealing said moves from theother player during said initial stage only, thereafter extending saidmoves to other parts of the board, each player noting, after saidinitial stage and during the further progress of the game, the pastmoves of his opponents pieces from the registered traces thereof.

11. A game of skill comprising a game board and a plurality of sets oftracing tools respectively available to each of several players forregistering movements of different types of pieces on said board, thetools of each set being provided with different points producingdistinctive traces characteristic for the identity of each type ofpiece.

12. A game of skill for two players, comprising a game board with twoportions each assigned to a respective player, two sets of tracing toolsrespectively available to each player for registering movements ofdifferent types of pieces on his respective portion of said board duringan initial stage of the game and on any part of said board during asubsequent stage thereof, the tools of each set being provided withdifferent points producing distinctive traces characteristic for theidentity of each type of piece, and screen means removably disposedbetween said portions for concealing the movements of one player fromthe other during said initial stage.

13. A game as defined in claim 11 wherein the styli of each set havepoints of different effective width.

14. A game as defined in claim 13 wherein the points of the styli ofeach set consist of one to n closely juxtaposed tracing heads, n beingthe number of distinctively different types of pieces per player.

15. A game as defined in claim 14 wherein said heads are prongs.

16. A game as defined in claim 14 wherein said heads are toothed wheels.

17. A game as defined in claim 14, for two players, wherein said headsare prongs in the case of one player and toothed wheels in the case ofthe other player.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,927,695 9/1933Andreas. 1,932,524 10/1933 Jackson 273 3,181,865 5/1965 Tout 27394DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. EVERETT R. ZACK, Assistant Examiner.

1. A METHOD OF PLAYING A GAME OF SKILL IN WHICH EACH OF TWO PLAYERSDISPOSES OF SEVERAL TYPES OF PIECES WHOSE ADVANCE ACROSS A GAME BOARDPROCEEDS IN MOVES CHARACTERISTICALLY DIFFERENT FOR EACH TYPE, COMPRISINGREGISTERING THE MOTION OF EACH PIECE ON SAID GAME BOARD IN THE FORM OF ATRACE OF DISTINCTIVE APPEARANCE IDENTIFYING THE